Trump Calls for Legalized Online Gambling in the US

Donald Trump has joined the chorus calling for legalized online gambling in the US, pointing to millions in potential revenue that is leaving the country and going to offshore sites.

“It should be approved here,” Trump told The Associated Press in an interview on October 20. “An awful lot of money is leaving the U.S. that should and could stay in this country.”

The interview was in response to a filing from Trump Entertainment that signaled plans to set up a joint venture to offer online casino and poker games if laws in the US changed to allow it.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) that was passed in late 2006 is a federal law that essentially blocks US citizens from playing blackjack, poker, or other casino games at online sites.

Trump Entertainment and the Avenue Capital hedge fund would be the principal partners in the joint venture, which would look to leverage the Trump name along with existing gaming licenses that Trump’s casinos across the US already hold.

Several different US states have considered passing their own state laws that would allow for intra-state online gambling sites open to resident, with only the District of Columbia successful so far in passing a bill (although DC has yet to implement any of the online casino or poker sites that were approved).